Nothing to Worry About...Or do I? Continued

Greetings...Back again to tell you more of my story. 

Looking back I see where I stepped deeper into this trying to get myself out of it. It wasn't just my bad lawyer or the prosecutor, it was my attitude and my lack of knowledge about what I was facing. I had fell under the illusion that if you didn't do anything you didn't have anything to worry about. I mean, how can you hide evidence that is right in your face?

Leroy Head didn't just confess to the Gillis brothers and his mom, but he confessed to anyone who would listen. I had over 10 different affidavits from inmates stating Leroy confessed to them over a period of years. None of which made it in front of any court. They claimed that this evidence wasn't credible because they were inmates. Yet they themselves used inmates to convict me. Anthony Gillis was the worse of them all. At the time of him giving the statement against Leroy, this dude was giving a statement against his own brother for another murder. The police were actually going around looking for a gang of guys that were robbing the elderly in the neighborhood.Which happened to be the Gillis brothers, Leroy Head and a few others. So when Anthony Gillis was arrested for this, he gave his own brother up for a murder he had done and Leroy for the murder of Sanders Leach to help get out of the mess he was in. When Leroy decided to put his murder on me, it wasn't hard for them to convince Gillis to change what he had said at the start. He had five different cases pending himself. This was a man who was in prison when he testified against me and walked out of the county jail an hour later. Between Anthony Gillis and Leroy Head, 19 different statements were made. And that was their evidence as to who did this murder.  They didn't have any except their twisted words. These two boys with all these different statements. And somehow the prosecutor found a way to convince a jury that these two were making these stories up initially out of fear of me hurting their families.

So where were my lawyers while all this was going? I had Mr. William Chapman as an attorney at this point. So, I didn't really have an attorney. This man allowed all this to happen and then came to visit me one day and told me that they were now putting this murder on me and that I was facing the death penalty. The trial was a mess. This man was so bad the judge turned his back on the court and went to sleep. It took the jury all of 20 minutes to find me guilty and a day to sentence me to death.The courtroom was filled with lawyers and judges who just shook their heads when the verdict came in. I was the talk of the courthouse over this farce.

Everything that could have went wrong did go wrong. Even I knew this wouldn't stand. Off to death town I went. The most horrible moment in all of this was when I stepped in that cell and that door closed behind me. All the life went out of me...And the drama got deeper....But that is for another time.

As always,thank you for listening...Peace, Arthur

Chapter One-Got Nothing To Worry About...Or do I?

Greetings. I am finally in the process of writing my thoughts from over the past years. Thinking it may somehow form a book worth reading. Not really a good writer (yes, someone will be editing), but I will hope to keep to an easy form without too much change.The book will not detail the things that took place daily, but more how I happened to get here and the process that has kept me here for as long as it has. 

Some people trust the system isn't crooked, but those are people who really don't care, just do the job, and they don't want to know. You have those who know something is wrong, who care and try to do something about it. I know some of both. And then there are those who have first hand knowledge of how bad it can go being caught up in this system. That's the story I will tell. It's about bad lawyers, shady prosecutors, judges who know it should go one way but allow it to go however the prosecutor wants. Lying witnesses who don't know the truth but will give what they are told is the truth because they think they are doing the right thing. 

There were no eyewitnesses to the crime. There was no physical evidence.This case started with Anthony Gillis and Leroy Head being arrested along with others on an unrelated murder. After a conversation with the Gillis and his brothers, it was determined that Leroy Head was the person who shot and killed Mr.Sanders Leach. After this, Leroy Head confessed to his Mom and then the detective's who were on the case that he committed this murder. He said that he was with a guy named Art, a guy he really didn't know. That was his one truth and the one thing I never denied. He was with me that day and we did go all the way to the Meat Market. But everything after that was on him, not on me. My wrong in this is I didn't do the right thing with it. I thought, "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" was the code. I didn't do anything wrong so why involve myself? The second worse decision I ever made in life.

The first being my choice of lawyers. I had the worse lawyer in the history of lawyers. Mr.William Chapman, other lawyers referred to him as "two-suit Chapman." He had one dirty blue suit and one dirty black suit. He hung around the third floor courtroom hustling the cases the court paid lawyers to plea out. I didn't learn all this until later, but at the time he was my star. I didn't know any better. He was my thousand dollar lawyer who guaranteed he would win this case. How could he not? After all, I didn't do anything wrong and they had Leroy Head's confession. So I was under an illusion of freedom. I had the paid lawyer and they had Leroy's confession. What could go wrong? I had actually gotten rid of some decent attorneys to hire this man. My third worse decision. See, I realize now that I can't blame anyone but myself for being here. All they did at the beginning was get out of my way and I walked myself right into the noose.

I had the shadiest prosecutor ever, William Gerstenslager. He made one objection that resounds in my head today.The judge had made a ruling that he was not going to allow Mr. Chapman to handle my case in his courtroom.That's the first time I should have listened. The prosecutor objected and told the judge that he couldn't object to the lawyer of my choosing. I bought into that so hard that I objected to the judge telling me who I can hire. Dumb,dumb,dumb,dumb,dumb! Punches we're now being thrown. I threw the first one and hit myself in the mouth.The prosecutor never wanted me to have lawyers the court appointed. He never needed to convince me. He just tweaked my ego and let me think I was in control. And I placed the noose around my own neck. Gerstenslager just tightened it. 

That was the beginning of this nightmare. Have you ever awoken one day and just knew that the day was all wrong? That it wasn't going to go as it normally did.That it wasn't going to end as it should .I did and I couldn't do anything about it as you will see...

Be blessed everyone. This story continues...Peace, Arthur

My First Mistake

Greetings good people who take time out for me! 

The latest news with me is that I started taking classes at Ashland University last week. It's been so long since I've done this that I actually forgot what it takes to have a full load. It will be challenging for sure, but I will always find time to drop by here for a chat.😊 

I've been thinking that maybe for those of you who are truly following my situation, that you would like to know how I got caught up in this--all the behind the scene antics that one prosecutor went through to destroy my life because he was angry at me. I take my blame as well for not just doing the right thing, but it never should have ended up this drastic. I have actually started a book on it. Not so much about being here, but about how I got here and why this has gone on so long.That's a story you must know to understand how I have spent most of my adult life in prison. 

We always want to think that when something like this happens, when a man's life is at stake--facing the death penalty, that everything is done correctly. I mean, if you want to try and justify legally killing a man or keeping him in prison for almost 40 years, it should at least be above water how you do it. We all believe that justice system is correct.That these people who hold the power over a person's life would not fall to dirty tactics. I even thought that at one time myself. I would have bet my life that people would never have convicted me for a murder I didn't commit. No way! But that was not the case. Now with all the exonerations of innocent people, everyone can see how bad it really is.The exonerated were the blessed ones. God's intervention that they didn't die on death row. And yes, I was blessed as well with my sentence commuted, but it's not in its completion yet. I still have a ways to go. And we will get me there eventually. But it won't be justice. We are well beyond getting justice, and they will never say that I am innocent of this crime.

So I must go through the PROCESS before they will release me. So far the court, appeal and clemency process have not gone in my favor, so no, I don't trust the process. In fact, I feel mistreated by the process. It all started when I was 23 years old. I really wasn't a criminal beyond a few petty crimes.I had never really dealt with the wheels of the system.The upper echelon so to speak. I knew how serious the shooting of Sanders Leach was, but they had the person who did the actual murder. He had confessed. He just mentioned my name as being a part of it. Okay, so I thought if I explain my part, everything will be okay, right? No evidence and no witness. Just this person saying he was with me when he killed this man.No worries,right? That was my first bad decision-thinking no worries. So I came down to the police station to talk with the police and tell them why I was there. And here I sit, 37 years later and counting. Still hoping...And that's where the story will begin, with that first bad decision of thinking no worries.

So keep your eyes on this space and I will walk you through what happen and how I got here...More later...Peace.Arthur.

A Few Good Things

Greetings all,

This will be my little catch you up info-gram for those who have missed a step.You know normally good things and jail are not synonymous, but I'm finding a few good things. And this is surprising even me.I mean its jail, but so many good things are going on.Sadly most of the youngsters are not taking advantage of it. You would be surprised at what they offer. From schooling to the trades; janitorial training, solar panel installation, Edwin's culinary courses, computer training, dog training, and even the simplest of things, like GED.

Take me for instance. I never drew or painted anything in my life.There is an art teacher here, Ms. Fye, who sat me down and in five weeks I completed a self-portrait and painted a cat that was so good it was framed. Just wish I had more time take more classes.When I talk about my greatest teachers in life, she would be at the top. She taught me that I could do something I never dreamed I could do. 

I have been in this prison a little over a year now and I have completed over 50 programs. In four weeks, I will have completed Edwin's cooking program. In five more weeks, I will have completed Photovoltaic, the solar panel installation program. On September 16th,I start Ashland University"s Business Administration's Basic Business Course.

I have already completed a Certified Paralegal Program out of Ohio University. If I can do all this within the last two years at 59 years young, can you imagine what one of these young brothers could come out of here with? And that's what I mentor to them now--don't miss opportunities. Whatever you want to do is available here. Prison can again be about rehabilitation. All you have to do is take advantage of it. I have...Next step,teaching that there is a better direction in doing the right thing...

Til next time...Arthur...

Riding the Waves of Highs and Lows

Greetings All,

Been awhile since I last sat with you,so I thought I'd start our chat with Ups and Downs over the past year. In class we call them Highs and Lows and we talk about them daily in the Tyro Dads Class.That's one of my Highs. I just recently joined the Executive Board of Tyro Dads.It's a Ridge Project program that gives support to guys leaving prison to try to help them not come back to prison.I would have been a part of that when I got out, but as you know the parole board decided I should do three more years before they consider releasing me.

Since I didn't get out they gave me a place on the board here and are allowing me to facilitate classes. Another good is I made level one! That's the lowest level you can go when you are doing well. And it shows the parole board that you are doing well. Don't know that they pay it much attention to it though. As I've been doing good all along, and they still claimed my attitude hasn't changed. 

I have most of my reintegration programs completed.What takes everyone else three years to complete has taken me one year. I'm doing the AA and the NA classes even though I don't use drugs or drink.I take them in the event I run across someone who needs my help that does indulge.I took an art course that brought the artist out of me. I'm about to start my Solar Panel Installation course, Edwins and the Janitorial course to help make myself employable. If I end up having to do the entire three years, I will complete the Arborist Course they have here and a Business Course at Ashland University.

Since I have a parole date within three years it opens the door to all the courses they have here, and they have many. With all that I can do here, I can actually turn this into a college experience rather than just a prison experience. And I'm trying to get the younger guys to see this.They can actually come out of this with a good experience, rather than it just being a prison stay. This prison offers so many things, but too many aren't taking advantage of it.That's one of the jobs I take on. Getting them to change directions.

So those have been my Highs. My lows? I have a few complaints, but nothing that can bring me to a pause.I have my eye on the place I need to be and I won't let anything keep me from there.God has blessed me well to put me in the position I'm in. To put the people in my life that I have. I won't be letting anyone down. I especially won't let me down. I will ride this wave God put me on all the way to shore...As always, thank you for listening.

Stay blessed...

Yours,
Arthur

Don't Like it, But It Could be Worse

Greetings all. We find ourselves at the end of another year with me still sitting here waiting for this journey to complete. For those who don't know, the parole board thought I needed another three years to complete the process, if even that completes it. I have finally come to the conclusion that it will not be over til I walk out the front door of this system. We have had two disappointments before; when I got off death row and we thought I was coming home and when I got reduced from life without parole and was given the chance to go home. But I will not complain about that. 

Actually, after what the system did to Anthony Apanovitch, a guy who was on death row with me for over 30 year, I know I got blessed and will not complain. None of these things was newsworthy. Not my case or his.They had actually allowed him to get off death row right after me and go home. He spent over three years out in the free world and then this past month they went and removed him from his home and placed him back on death row. I know I will have problems til the day I walk out this door, but I will not complain. God is good and I just have to stay patient. My day will come. So those are my thoughts for the new year--have patience and don't complain. Do what you know to do and everything will take care of itself.

Since it seems I will be here a bit longer, I have a lot of plans. My record reflects that my parole date is three years away, which opens a door to me that would normally be closed. I can now take all the classes and programs open to those going home. Free of charge. So I will take advantage of it. I just got enrolled in the Photovoltaic Installer course. I will also be taking the Arborist course. Didn't even know what that was til now! I will also do the Edwin's Course. I decided to stay in my art class. We will now be doing ink drawings and I'm looking forward to that. I should be taking the CASA test in order to enroll in Ashland University in February and the Janitorial accreditation program. All this along with the mandatory programs for being in the reintegration program. Yes, I will be busy and looking forward to time flying...

The hope is still that the governor does something, but it's just that--a hope.We will see. In the meantime, I will enjoy life as it flows. I hope God's blessings touch each of your days...Til next time...

Peace to you,

Arthur